Beauty Under Lockdown
COVID-19 has upended beauty routines, so what’s the new kid on the block?
This year drastically changed my morning routine, and for most beauty lovers, it’s also altered beauty routines. Before the pandemic, every morning, I put on a face full of makeup. It was a religious process I committed to every morning because it motivated me to embrace the day. Once I slapped on foundation, concealer, blush, and mascara, I felt like I could conquer the world. However, quarantine and masks compromised that beauty routine, and I’m confident I’m not the only one. So what has taken its stead?
Skincare
For some, this was a long-overdue skin vacation. Environmental stressors in physical, chemical, and biological spaces can negatively impact one's skin over time. And, with many in quarantine and “maskne” a new skincare concern, it’s no surprise skincare has become the forefront of beauty routines.
Trends
According to the market research company The NDP Group, in 2018, the beauty industry grew 6% in sales from 2017 and reached $18.8 billion USD. The skincare category made up for 60% of the total gains. Larissa Jensen, executive director and beauty industry analyst at The NDP Group, called this boom “a disruption” to the marketing landscape. It was projected skincare would continue to disrupt the marketing landscape in future years. With COVID-19 introducing new work from home policies and mandatory mask-wearing in public spaces, consumers' need for skincare has significantly amplified.
I did a quick Google Trends search for skincare keywords I’ve commonly encountered on social media. The screenshot below illustrates the results of my search. Over the past five years, there’s been a steady inclination for searching keywords such as:
Skincare, The Ordinary, retinol, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid.
The trough in the graph (indicated by the purple arrow) dates between March 15th to 21st, after The World Health Organization announced COVID-19 as a global health crisis on March 11th. The spikes in the graph (indicated by the green arrow) occur between April 19th to May 23rd, which was when many major metropolitans entered quarantine, and work from home policies were underway.
Unmasking Underlining Issues
Working from home means individuals spend less time getting ready and more time on the computer. Many individuals like myself opt to stay barefaced all day and crawl into bed once nightfall. As a result, cosmetics go unused for months, and the morning makeup routine becomes a more thorough morning skincare routine.
But, working from home also provides individuals time to confront their beauty flaws and embrace their bare-face. Makeup can be a blanket for biological, physical, or mental issues, and the current pandemic has provided time to “unmask” those issues. By addressing the cause of potential bodily stressors, one can start treating pesky skin issues such as acne or psoriasis from the comfort of their homes, voided from the fear of showing their skin journey to the rest of the world.
Skincare also starts from within; you are what you eat. Since quarantine began, I’ve allocated a lot more time to eating healthy. Even on my worst days, I manage to eat at least a fruit! Before COVID, my diet primarily consisted of coffee and takeout. I had no time to eat wholesome. My skin reflected my poor dietary choices, as well as some other immunological issues I’ve ignored for years. Working from home shed light on how poorly I was taking care of myself, and with time I learned how to handle my body with respect.
Your skin but better makeup
Your skin but better makeup creates the illusion that one is barefaced, but in reality, one is wearing minimal makeup. Lightweight makeup is easy and quick to apply, perfect for virtual classes, meetings, and seminars, and is ideal for mask-wearing.
Masks are the best way to prevent the spread, but unfortunately, they cover most of one's face. The eyes and forehead are the remaining areas to apply makeup playfully. Using a little foundation or tinted moisturizer to even out the forehead, followed by eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara, is an easy way to head out the door. No need for blush, highlight, contour, or a lip shade. It’s also ideal in cases you may need to take off your mask, like if you’re having lunch at a park with a friend. You don’t have to worry about makeup all over your mask or that half of your face is not made up. Bare-faced makeup allows you to look your best without looking done-up.
There are still many tutorials on applying a full face of makeup and preserving it underneath a mask. But, considering many of us are still in quarantine and the fanciest place to venture to is the grocery store most of the time, bare-faced but better makeup is now the go-to routine.
Final Thoughts
COVID-19 changed all aspects of our daily lives but, not all those changes were necessarily bad. Although beauty routines have changed, some of these changes are within our best interests. There are plenty of creative ways to still feel beautiful in the comfort of your home whether it’s to embrace your bare-face or make use of some lighter makeup alternatives. And hopefully, some of these creative alternatives are here to stay post-pandemic. What changes have you made in your beauty routine? What are some things about your skin you’ve come to embrace?
